‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Is Heading for a Box Office Record No Subtitled Movie Has Ever Touched

Few franchises have had a stretch like the one ‘Godzilla‘ is enjoying right now. ‘Godzilla Minus One’ turned a modest Japanese import into an Oscar winner in 2023, and its sequel arrived with a bigger budget, an IMAX-first approach and sky-high expectations. Director Takashi Yamazaki returned to write, direct and oversee the visual effects.

The rollout was unusual from the start. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ opened in Japan on November 3, Godzilla Day, and landed in North America just 3 days later, the first time a Japanese entry has launched so close together in both markets. On opening day in Japan it earned an estimated ¥910 million, or about $5.7 million, a record for a live-action film there that beat the mark held by ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’.

Now the film is tracking to make history in North America too. It is on course for the biggest domestic opening weekend ever for a live-action international film, with Deadline’s Saturday-morning estimate putting the 3-day total at about $32 million. That is nearly triple the $11.4 million that ‘Godzilla Minus One’ earned in its opening weekend.

The record on the books belongs to Jet Li’s ‘Hero’, which opened to $17.8 million. A debut near $32 million would clear it by a huge margin, and Screen Rant noted it would also top ‘Hero’ once ticket prices are adjusted for inflation. It would also be the biggest opening ever for distributor GKIDS.

The film earned $6.7 million from Thursday previews, a record for a non-English live-action release, and $14.5 million on Friday including those previews. It played in 3,254 theaters, and the Friday figure was initially reported at $13.5 million before being revised upward. Just days earlier, a $30 million weekend was considered the high end of expectations, and now it looks like the low end.

Context matters here, because this is a record for live-action films. Sony and Crunchyroll’s ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ still holds the all-time mark for any foreign-language release with $70.6 million, and animated titles tend to play in their own lane.

The numbers also put the film in rare company. If it holds, it would be only the fourth non-English-language film to finish a weekend at No. 1 in North America, joining ‘The Passion of the Christ’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’. Warner Bros.’ ‘The Cat in the Hat’ took second place on Friday with $6 million, well behind the monster.

That result will sting for a family release that tracked as high as $40 million to $50 million in some forecasts. The kaiju, meanwhile, is playing in Japanese with English subtitles and carrying an R rating, the first for the franchise.

Word of mouth looks as strong as the first film’s. Opening-night crowds gave ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ an A CinemaScore, the same grade ‘Godzilla Minus One’ earned, and the Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at 96%. The critics score is around 91% and Certified Fresh, a notch below the 99% of its predecessor.

Reviews have been enthusiastic, if not unanimous. Many critics praised the film as a bigger spectacle with a richer emotional story, while others felt the human drama was less cohesive than in ‘Godzilla Minus One’. IndieWire likened it to the middle chapter of a trilogy, and several reviewers urged moviegoers to see it in IMAX, since it is the first Japanese production shot for the format.

The film’s strong first weekend also shows how far Japanese cinema has come in the American market. ‘Godzilla Minus One’ eventually legged out to about $57 million domestically, and ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ remains the franchise’s global leader with $572 million worldwide. A bigger opening gives the sequel a real shot at building on its predecessor’s total.

The new trailer for ‘GODZILLA MINUS ZERO’ has been released. In theaters on November 6. https://t.co/sgaEXweerd

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 8, 2026

The numbers are still estimates, so the final tally could shift when actuals arrive on Monday. Sunday audiences are the big question, since the film depends so heavily on premium screens and fan turnout. Even so, the early read is that this is no longer a niche event.

It is a remarkable moment for a franchise that is more than 70 years old, and a reminder that a subtitled monster movie can go toe to toe with Hollywood’s biggest names. The film’s success could also open the door for more ambitious Japanese productions on American screens.

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